Below is an excerpt from Andrew Yang‘s new book, Smart People Should Build Things: How to Restore Our Culture of Achievement, Build a Path for Entrepreneurs, and Create New Jobs in America, which comes out in February 2014. Andrew was named Managing Director of Manhattan GMAT in 2006, Chief Executive Officer in 2007, and President in 2010. He left Manhattan GMAT in 2010 to start Venture for America, where he now serves as Founder and CEO. 

Smart People Should Build Things. 

I believe there’s a basic solution to our country’s economic and social problems. We need to get our smart people building things (again). They’re not really doing it right now. They’d like to. But they’re being led down certain paths during and after college and told not to worry, they can figure it out later.

Take me, for instance. I wasn’t very enterprising when I graduated from Brown in 1996. I had a general desire to be smart, accomplished, and successful—whatever that meant. So I went to law school and became a corporate attorney in New York. I figured out I was in the wrong place after a number of months working at the law firm. I left in less than a year and cofounded a dot-com company, Stargiving, which helped raise money for celebrity-affiliated nonprofits. It was extraordinarily difficult. My company failed spectacularly, but I recovered. I went to work for a mobile software company, Crisp Wireless, and then a health care software company, MMF Systems, over the next five years, eventually becoming the CEO of a test-prep company, Manhattan GMAT, in 2006.

I spent five years running Manhattan GMAT, helping young people get into business school. I taught our corporate classes of investment banking analysts and consultants at Goldman Sachs, McKinsey and Company, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, and Deloitte, as well as hundreds of individual students over the years. Some were exactly where they wanted to be. But there seemed to be just as many top-notch young people who wondered why they didn’t like their jobs more. They sought a higher sense of engagement with their work and their careers. Sometimes they would put words to what they were looking for; they’d say they wanted “something entrepreneurial” or “to be really excited about something.”
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We invite you to test your GMAT knowledge for a chance to win! Each week, we will post a new Challenge Problem for you to attempt. If you submit the correct answer, you will be entered into that week’s drawing for a free Manhattan GMAT Prep item. Tell your friends to get out their scrap paper and start solving!

Here is this week’s problem:

An isosceles triangle with one angle of 120° is inscribed in a circle of radius 2. This triangle is rotated 90° about the center of the circle. What is the total area covered by the triangle throughout this movement, from starting point to final resting point?

(A) 
(B) 
(C) 
(D) 
(E) 

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Here are the free GMAT events we’re holding this week. All times are local unless otherwise specified.

Remember, our Black Friday GMAT special ends on December 15th. Receive $150 off all December GMAT courses will the code BLACKFRIDAY150.

12/2/13– Chicago, IL – Free Trial Class-  6:30PM- 9:30PM

12/3/13- Washington, DC- Free Trial Class– 6:30PM- 9:30PM

12/3/13-Seattle, WA- Free Trial Class– 6:30PM- 9:30PM

12/3/13–  New York, NY- Free Trial Class– 6:30PM- 9:30PM

12/4/13– Online- Free Trial Class – 8:00PM- 11:00PM (EST)

12/4/13– Santa Monica, CA- Free Trial Class– 6:30PM- 9:30PM

12/4/13– Boston, MA – Free Trial Class-  6:30PM- 9:30PM

12/4/13– New York, NY-Free Trial Class-  6:30PM- 9:30PM

12/7/13– New York, NY- Free Trial Class– 2:00PM- 5:00PM (

Looking for more free events? Check out our Free Events Listings Page.

Happy Black Friday! In case you’re too full of turkey and stuffing to make your way out to the shops today, we’re serving up something extra special. Today through December 15th, we’re offering $150 off all of our December GMAT, LSAT, and GRE courses*! This deal includes all Complete Courses– in-person as well as Live-Online. To receive this limited-time discount, register for a course that starts in December and enter the code “BLACKFRIDAY150” at checkout.

This is only the beginning of the holiday season, which means we have many more amazing things coming your way. Be sure to check back next week when we unlock our most student-focused holiday campaign. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with everything happening at Manhattan Prep. Oh what fun this is going to be!

*Offer is valid for courses starting in the month of December only. Not valid for students currently registered for courses, or with any additional offers. Offer expires 12/15/2013 for GMAT courses.

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We invite you to test your GMAT knowledge for a chance to win! Each week, we will post a new Challenge Problem for you to attempt. If you submit the correct answer, you will be entered into that week’s drawing for a free Manhattan GMAT Prep item. Tell your friends to get out their scrap paper and start solving!

Here is this week’s problem:

Which of the following is the largest?

(A) 2^27.3

(B) 3^18.2

(C) 5^11.1

(D) 7^9.1

(E) 11^5.1

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“Here are the free GMAT events we’re holding this week. All times are local unless otherwise specified.

11/24/13– Online – Free Trial Class- 5:00PM- 8:00PM (EDT)

11/24/13- Chicago, IL- Free Trial Class- 2:00PM- 5:00PM

11/25/13-Online- Essay Writing Workshop presented by mbaMission- 7:00PM- 8:30PM (EST)

11/25/13–  Santa Clara, CA- Free Trial Class- 6:30PM- 9:30PM

11/25/13– Online- Free Trial Class - 9:00PM- 12:00AM (EST)

Looking for more free events? Check out our Free Events Listings Page.”

“Manhattan Prep is offering special full tuition scholarships for up to 16 individuals per year (4 per quarter) who will be selected as part of Manhattan GMAT’s Social Venture Scholars program. This program provides the selected scholars with free admission into one of Manhattan GMAT’s live online Complete Courses (a $1290 value).

These competitive scholarships are offered to individuals who (1) currently work full-time in an organization that promotes positive social change, (2) plan to use their MBA to work in a public, not-for-profit, or other venture with a social-change oriented mission, and (3) demonstrate clear financial need. The Social Venture Scholars will all enroll in a special online preparation course taught by two of Manhattan GMAT’s expert instructors within one year of winning the scholarship.

The deadline our next application period is December 6, 2013.

Details about the SVS program and how you can apply can be found here.”

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We invite you to test your GMAT knowledge for a chance to win! Each week, we will post a new Challenge Problem for you to attempt. If you submit the correct answer, you will be entered into that week’s drawing for a free Manhattan GMAT Prep item. Tell your friends to get out their scrap paper and start solving!

Here is this week’s problem:

Right triangle ABO is drawn in the xy-plane, with OB as hypotenuse, where O is at the origin and B at (15, 0). What is the area of the triangle?

(1) The x– and y-coordinates of all three points are non-negative integers.

(2) No two sides of the triangle have the same length.

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“Here are the free GMAT events we’re holding this week. All times are local unless otherwise specified.

11/17/13– Online – Free Trial Class-  7:00AM- 10:00AM (EDT)

11/17/13- Santa Monica, CA- Free Trial Class- 5:30PM- 8:30PM

11/18/13-Boston, MA- Free Trial Class- 6:30PM- 9:30PM

11/18/13–  Austin, TX- Free Trial Class- 6:30PM- 9:30PM

11/19/13– Toronto, ON- Free Trial Class - 6:30PM- 9:30PM

11/19/13– Online- MBA Admissions Myths Destroyed presented by mbaMission- 5:00PM- 6:30PM (EDT)

11/19/13– Online - Free Trial Class-  8:00PM- 11:00PM (EDT)

11/20/13– New York, NY- Essay Writing Workshop presented by mbaMission-  7:00PM- 8:30PM

11/21/13– Online- Thursdays with Ron- 7:00PM- 8:30PM (EST)

11/21/13– Boston, MA- Choosing the Right B-School presented by mbaMission- 7:00PM-8:30PM

11/23/13– New York, NY - Free Trial Class- 2:00PM-5:00PM

Looking for more free events? Check out our Free Events Listings Page.”

“

We invite you to test your GMAT knowledge for a chance to win! Each week, we will post a new Challenge Problem for you to attempt. If you submit the correct answer, you will be entered into that week’s drawing for a free Manhattan GMAT Prep item. Tell your friends to get out their scrap paper and start solving!

Here is this week’s problem:

In the diagram above, triangle ABC is equilateral, figure SQRE is a square, and A is the midpoint of SQ. If the perimeter of triangle ABC is 6 inches, what is the length, in inches, of segment RY ?

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